


The Woman's Private Smile

by bmouse



Series: The Client [2]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-05-18
Updated: 2012-05-18
Packaged: 2017-11-05 14:45:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 767
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/407631
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bmouse/pseuds/bmouse
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ryouga has a nice chat with his sempai. ( a woman's work is never done )</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Woman's Private Smile

The heavily carved door opened and even behind the mission desk Ryouga felt a breeze pick up the weighted end of his scarf.

"So?" he asked.

Karura-senpai grabbed a fish-shaped cracker out of the bowl on the counter, subtly tapped it against an anti-poison seal ring and then crammed it halfway into her mouth, snapping off the head with an elegant twist of her neck.

"She's a bit of a nervous ninny but, you know, as expected and some fancy talk calmed her down. The fiance's an ugly shitbag but not dangerous - didn’t even hire any of ours for the wedding protection, the cheapskate. Like some third-rate missing nin are gonna..."

"What?! I thought you were going there to turn her down!"

"And why would I be doing that? A woman needs to eat." 

"Except how that whole region's like juggling bags of flashpowder over an open fire. So you knock off the old Fujitaka and client goes home for a month or two before her parents find another suitable suitor. Meanwhile his neighbors field their guys, his illegitimates scramble for the house, and a lot of the valuable farming civvies bite it. I'll name the civil war after you after Sandaime-sama has you skinned for starting it. "

"Nope." 

Ryouga found himself poked authoritatively in the forehead with a bitten off fishtail.

"And you're ruining my mood with your squawking. I was in there so long convincing her to give it a while after the wedding. Genjutsu to make him think what he wants, soften him up a bit and then old-man-with-young-wife is a classic finisher. All she wants outta life is a sunny spot and a book, she might as well have her own castle for it. Neighbors are shit out of luck, county gets a much-needed regime change and she's paranoid enough given hubby's money she'll hire any number of nin I tell her to. For protection, until the place gets used to her and then maybe a long term thing for one of the old timers. And so, another sad tangle of fate resolved, thanks be to Karura-sama in her infinite foresight and mercy etc etc."

Having left a trail of crumbs on his chuunin vest with every gesture she finally seemed to remember the fragment in her hand, biting through it with a resounding ‘crack’. She licked the pad of her thumb, pink tongue catching on a sharp pale nail. He couldn’t help thinking that for such a small graceful woman she ate like a beast. The heavy door was long since closed but when she looked up at him his scarf seemed to tighten around his neck with the sudden breeze. She was still smiling faintly but her eyes had gone flat.

“See now, Ryouga-kun.” she said mildly. “Don’t you feel foolish for doubting me?”

He reached up, slipped the scarf off. She let him.

“Yes, Karura-sempai” he swallowed, and then went on. “but it is my duty. As the person who holds this post I am one of the last lines of defense. If I see a contract that threatens the well being of the village or the reigning policy towards a certain region I am charged to speak and speak loudly.” His words ring out to every corner of the empty room and he starts at himself, smiles tightly. “No matter how damn scary you lot are, I can’t allow myself to be bullied by anyone. Even you, sempai.”

“And just so.” she beams. “Congrats, you just passed your third randomized loyalty test. I’ll write something up tonight and you’ll get your updated clearance tomorrow.”

The wind that had choked him ruffles Ryouga’s hair. It carries her parting ‘Thanks for your service Ryoga-kuuun’ back to his ears as the door closes behind her. Dust motes settle around the room, suddenly finding themselves without any means of transport. His neck is cold without his scarf.

He forgot sometimes. She was friendly, vivacious, and largely kind but experience suggested that every jounin was, in their own way, a fiend. Sabaku no Karura was a first-rate jounin. 

Ryouga sat down and sharply pulled a ledger book out of the stack. That’s it, now that he was confirmed for the mission desk he would be more careful how he dressed on shift - too many wind users. Better a cold neck than such an obvious chokepoint. And as he checked and stamped the contract he knew he would leave his weighted scarf at home, but he also knew that the next time he saw her he would have forgotten what he really needed to remember.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm trying to nail down Karura's character for a larger fic. She doesn't really want to be nailed down though... Let me know what you think <3


End file.
